The capital and local nobility in A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”
Sample essay text
In the novel "Eugene Onegin" Pushkin with remarkable completeness unfolded the pictures of Russian life in the first quarter of the XIX century. Before the reader’s eyes, an arrogant, luxurious St. Petersburg, ancient Moscow, dear to the heart of every Russian person, cozy country estates, and nature, beautiful in its variability, pass in a living, moving panorama. Against this background, Pushkin’s heroes love, suffer, are disappointed, and die. Both the environment that gave birth to them and the atmosphere in which their lives take place are deeply and completely reflected in the novel.
In the first chapter of the novel, introducing the reader to his hero, Pushkin describes in detail his ordinary day, filled to the limit with visits to restaurants, theaters and balls. The life of other young St. Petersburg aristocrats was also “monotonous and motley”, all of whose worries consisted of searching for new, not yet boring entertainment. The desire for change forces Evgeny to leave for the village, then, after the murder of Lensky, he goes on a journey, from which he returns to the familiar environment of St. Petersburg salons. Here he meets Tatiana, who has become an “indifferent princess,” the mistress of an elegant drawing room where the highest nobility of St. Petersburg gathers.
Here you can meet pro-Lassians, “who have earned fame for their baseness of soul,” and “over-starched impudents,” and “ballroom dictators,” and elderly ladies “in caps and roses, seemingly evil,” and “maidens with unsmiling faces.” These are typical regulars of St. Petersburg salons, where arrogance, stiffness, coldness and boredom reign. These people live by strict rules of decent hypocrisy, playing some role. Their faces, like their living feelings, are hidden by an impassive mask. This gives rise to emptiness of thoughts, coldness of hearts, envy, gossip, and anger. That’s why such bitterness can be heard in Tatyana’s words addressed to Evgeniy:
And to me, Onegin, this pomp,
Life's hateful tinsel,
My successes are in a whirlwind of light,
My fashionable house and evenings,
What's in them? Now I'm glad to give it away
All this rags of a masquerade,
All this shine, and noise, and fumes
For a shelf of books, for a wild garden,
For our poor home...
The same idleness, emptiness and monotony fill the Moscow salons where the Larins visit. Pushkin paints a collective portrait of the Moscow nobility with bright satirical colors:
But there is no change in them,
Everything about them is the same as the old model:
At Aunt Princess Elena's
Still the same tulle cap;
Everything is whitewashed Lukerya Lvovna,
Lyubov Petrovna lies all the same,
Ivan Petrovich is just as stupid
Semyon Petrovich is also stingy...
In this description, attention is drawn to the persistent repetition of small everyday details and their immutability. And this creates a feeling of stagnation of life, which has stopped in its development. Naturally, there are empty, meaningless conversations here, which Tatyana cannot understand with her sensitive soul.
Tatyana wants to listen
In conversations, in general conversation;
But everyone in the living room is occupied
Such incoherent, vulgar nonsense,
Everything about them is so pale and indifferent;
They slander even boringly...
In the noisy Moscow world, the tone is set by “smart dandies”, “holiday hussars”, “archival youths”, and self-satisfied cousins. In a whirlwind of music and dance, a vain life rushes by, devoid of any internal content.
They kept life peaceful
Habits of a dear old man;
At their Shrovetide
There were Russian pancakes;
Twice a year they fasted,
Loved Russian swings
Podblyudny songs, round dance...
The author's sympathy is aroused by the simplicity and naturalness of their behavior, closeness to folk customs, cordiality and hospitality. But Pushkin does not idealize at all patriarchal world village landowners. On the contrary, it is precisely for this circle that the defining feature becomes the terrifying primitiveness of interests, which is also manifested in regular topics conversations, and in classes, and in an absolutely empty and aimlessly lived life. How, for example, is Tatyana’s late father remembered? Only because he was a simple and kind fellow,” “he ate and drank in his dressing gown,” and “died an hour before dinner.” The life of Uncle Onegin passes similarly in the wilderness of the village, who “for forty years scolded the housekeeper, looked out the window and crushed flies ". Pushkin contrasts these good-natured lazy people with Tatyana's energetic and economical mother. A few stanzas contain her entire spiritual biography, which consists of a rather rapid degeneration of a cutesy, sentimental young lady into a real sovereign landowner, whose portrait we see in the novel.
She went to work
Salted mushrooms for the winter,
She kept expenses, shaved her foreheads,
I went to the bathhouse on Saturdays,
She beat the maids in anger -
All this without asking my husband.
With his portly wife
Fat Pustyakov arrived;
Gvozdin, an excellent owner,
Owner of poor men...
These heroes are so primitive that they do not require a detailed description, which may even consist of one surname. The interests of these people are limited to eating food and talking “about wine, about the kennel, about their relatives.” Why does Tatyana strive from luxurious St. Petersburg to this meager, wretched little world? Probably because he is familiar to her, here she can not hide her feelings, not play the role of a magnificent secular princess. Here you can immerse yourself in the familiar world of books and wonderful rural nature. But Tatyana remains in the light, perfectly seeing its emptiness. Onegin is also unable to break with society without accepting it. The unfortunate fates of the novel's heroes are the result of their conflict with both the capital and provincial society, which, however, generates in their souls submission to the opinion of the world, thanks to which friends fight in duels, and loving friend friend people break up.
This means that a broad and complete depiction of all groups of the nobility in the novel plays an important role in motivating the actions of the heroes, their destinies, and introduces the reader to the circle of current social and moral problems 20s of the XIX century.
V. G. Belinsky called the novel “Eugene Onegin” “an encyclopedia of Russian life”, it “poetically reproduces the picture of Russian life”, Pushkin depicted noble society 20s of the 19th century, and showed in detail both the life of the provincial nobility and metropolitan society.
The main motive accompanying the description of St. Petersburg society is vanity (“it’s no wonder to keep up everywhere”), tinsel. Using the example of Onegin's daily routine, the reader can judge the pastime of a socialite. For socialite the day began in the afternoon (“it used to be that he was still in bed: / They carried notes to him”) - this is a feature of aristocracy. A typical walking place for the nobility is Nevsky Prospekt, English Embankment, Admiralteysky Boulevard. As soon as the “waking Breguet” beats lunch, the dandy rushes to the most fashionable restaurant, Talon. The afternoon is theatre, and the highlight of the day is the ball. It was believed in good form arrive after midnight, and in the morning, when working Petersburg wakes up, go home to sleep.
When describing secular society, there is a motif of masquerade: the main feature of St. Petersburg life is boredom (in the theater Onegin yawns (“I saw everything: faces, clothes / He is terribly dissatisfied”). The author, describing the mores of society, uses irony, sometimes satire:
Here, however, was the color of the capital,
And know, and fashion samples,
Faces you meet everywhere
Necessary fools.
Fashion is of great importance in St. Petersburg: “Onegin is in the latest fashion, / Dressed like a London dandy”; Dandyism is fashionable as a way of life and, of course, melancholy as the Byronic mask of a socialite and, as a consequence, a special type of behavior (“But wildly secular hostility / Afraid of false shame”).
Life in Moscow is slow, static, unchanging. There are many reminiscences of “Woe from Wit” in the novel. The spirit of nepotism reigns here - this is the main motive in the depiction of Moscow society - patriarchy, everyone calls each other by name and patronymic: Pelageya Nikolaevna, Lukerya Lvovna, Lyubov Petrovna; hospitality:
To relatives who arrived from afar,
Everywhere there is an affectionate meeting,
And exclamations, and bread and salt.
Moscow gossip, unlike St. Petersburg, looks homely, like talking about each other in a large family, where we tell all the secrets:
Everything about them is so pale and indifferent;
They slander even boringly.
In depicting the life of the provincial nobility, Pushkin follows Fonvizin: he gives an idea of the characters using the surnames of Fonvizin's heroes. Here reigns the “past century” and the past literary tradition with her “talking” surnames:
...fat Pustyakov.
Gvozdin, an excellent owner,
Owner of poor men;
The Skotinins, the gray-haired couple,
With children of all ages.
From thirty to two years.
The main feature of the provincial nobility is patriarchy, loyalty to antiquity (“They kept in their peaceful life / The habits of dear old times”), in relationships at the table the features of Catherine’s era were preserved (“And at the table their guests / They carried dishes according to rank”). Village entertainment includes hunting, guests, and a special place is occupied by the ball, where ancient trends still dominate (“even the mazurka has preserved / The original beauty”). The villagers are one big family, they love to gossip about each other:
Everyone began to interpret furtively,
It is not without sin to joke and judge,
Tatiana intends to marry the groom...
The fate of provincial nobles is traditional (the fate of Tatyana's mother, the alleged fate of Lensky). The provincial nobility appears in the novel as a caricature of high society, but at the same time, it is in the province that Tatyana’s appearance is possible.
(376 words) Pushkin in his novel “Eugene Onegin” depicts the capital and local nobility, identifying similar and different features. In this analysis we really see the encyclopedia of Russian life that V. Belinsky wrote about.
Let's start with the capital's nobility. The author notes that life in St. Petersburg is “monotonous and colorful.” This is a late awakening, “notes” with invitations to a ball, a party or children's party. The hero reluctantly chooses some kind of entertainment, then takes care of his appearance and goes to visit. This is exactly how almost the entire noble society of St. Petersburg spends its time. Here people are accustomed to external splendor, they care about being considered cultured and educated, so they devote a lot of time to talking about philosophy and literature, but in reality their culture is only superficial. For example, visiting the theater in St. Petersburg has been turned into a ritual. Onegin comes to the ballet, although he is not at all interested in what is happening on stage. As for spiritual life, Tatyana in the finale calls social life masquerade The nobility in the capital lives only with feigned feelings.
In Moscow, according to the author, there are fewer claims to high European culture. In chapter 7 he makes no mention of theater, literature, or philosophy. But here you can hear a lot of gossip. Everyone is discussing each other, but at the same time all conversations are conducted within the framework accepted rules, so in a secular drawing room you won’t hear a single living word. The author also notes that representatives of Moscow society do not change over time: “Lukerya Lvovna is whitewashing everything, Lyubov Petrovna is also lying.” Lack of change means that these people do not truly live, but only exist.
The local nobility is depicted in connection with the village life of Onegin and the life of the Larin family. Landowners, in the author's perception, are simple and kind people. They live in unity with nature. They are close to folk traditions and customs. For example, it is said about the Larin family: “They kept in life the peaceful habits of the dear old days.” The author writes about them with a warmer feeling than about the metropolitan nobles, since life in the village is more natural. They are easy to communicate and capable of making friends. However, Pushkin does not idealize them. First of all, the landowners are far from high culture. They practically don't read books. For example, Onegin’s uncle only read the calendar, Tatyana’s father did not like to read at all, however, he “saw no harm in books,” so he allowed his daughter to get carried away with them.
Thus, the landowners in Pushkin’s portrayal are good-natured, natural people, but not too developed, and the courtiers appear as false, hypocritical, idle, but slightly more educated nobles.
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Thanks to the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" we learn about the traditions, customs and way of life of all layers of Russian noble society. No wonder the critic V. G. Belinsky called the novel “Eugene Onegin” “an encyclopedia of Russian life.”
In the first chapter of “Eugene Onegin” we see a stormy metropolitan life, a description of one day of the representative is given " high society" In subsequent chapters, the author introduces us to the “new” life of Eugene Onegin - in the village - and shows the attitude of the village landowners towards their young neighbor.
In the above fragment, the local nobility is represented by the image of the deceased Uncle Eugene and the neighboring landowners.
Pushkin describes the entire life of the “village old-timer” in a few lines:
He (Eugene) settled in that peace,
Where is the village old-timer?
For about forty years he was quarreling with the housekeeper,
I looked out the window and squashed flies.
Such everyday details as: “not a speck of ink anywhere”, “jugs of apple water”, “a whole line of liqueurs”, “calendar of the eighth year” complete the appearance of Uncle Onegin. The author ironically describes the life of a typical village landowner: “The old man, having a lot to do, did not look at other books.”
Evgeny Onegin's neighbors match his uncle. They regard his desire to “establish a new order” and replace corvée with quitrent as “a most dangerous eccentricity.” They rejected Onegin and ended their friendship with him, since “he is not suitable for ladies,” “everything is yes, but no; will not say yes, sir, or no, sir,” that is, he demonstratively refused the conventions of etiquette, for which he was put on trial by the village landowners.
Pushkin also describes Lensky as a person whose appearance was subjected to “equally strict analysis”, since he, too, was different from the “villages”:
He's from foggy Germany
He brought the fruits of learning:
Freedom-loving dreams.
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Roman A.S. Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" was created over the course of seven years. The poet worked hard on it like on no other work. Sometimes he called his scattered drafts of a novel in verse “notebooks,” emphasizing the naturalism and realism of the sketches, which served Pushkin as a kind of notebook, where he noted the features of the life of the society in which he moved.
V.G. Belinsky, despite his poverty critical article about “Eugene Onegin”, there is a famous expression. He calls the novel “an encyclopedia of Russian life.” And even if the critic’s further reflections are not characterized by logic and profundity, the above-mentioned statement most accurately indicates the vastness and, without a doubt, epoch-making nature of the work.
Literary scholars call the novel “Eugene Onegin” the first realistic novel in the history of Russian literature. Pushkin is responsible for the creation of a new type of character - the so-called “hero of the time”. Later he will manifest himself in the work of M.Yu. Lermontov, and in the notes of I.S. Turgenev, and even F.M. Dostoevsky. The poet set himself the task of describing a person as he is, with all his vices and virtues. The main idea of the novel is the need to show the confrontation between Western, European civilization and the original Russian, highly spiritual one. This confrontation is reflected in the images different types nobility - the capital, whose representative is Eugene Onegin, and the provincial, to whom the “sweet ideal” Tatyana Larina belongs.
So, the European nobility, the capital, does not evoke much sympathy from the author of the work. He very ironically describes the orders and morals of high society society, emphasizing its emptiness, covered with ostentatious pomp. So, the nobles of the capital live, spending time at balls, dinner parties, and taking walks. However, these amusements follow the same scenario day after day, so even Evgeniy often languishes in society.
The main value is European traditions, fashion, etiquette, ability to behave in society. The most talented and educated people in fact they turn out to be empty, “superficial”. The same Onegin studied with a French woman, and after that he was given to be raised by a “poor Frenchman,” who “taught young Eugene everything jokingly.” This led to the fact that the hero knew a little from everywhere, but was not a master or professional in any science. Pushkin writes modestly about Lensky, another representative of the capital’s nobility, making it clear that in Europe he received an equally superficial education, and brought with him from Germany only “freedom-loving dreams” and “shoulder-length black curls.”
Like Onegin, Vladimir Lensky, a young idealist, was burdened secular society, but at the same time both heroes failed to break ties with him. So, for example, both of them, having cooled down, dream of forgetting about the duel, but at the same time, neither of them finds the strength to cancel the duel, since this contradicts secular concepts about honor and dignity. The price of this selfish desire not to lose face is the death of Lensky.
Provincial nobility depicted by Pushkin in a much more favorable light. Village landowners live a completely different life: they still have a connection with the Russian people, Russian tradition, culture, and spirituality. This is why Tatyana enjoys listening to her nanny’s stories so much; like Larina folklore legends, she is religious and devout.
A different life reigns in the village, calmer and simpler, not spoiled by the pomp of the world. But despite this, the provincial nobles are trying their best to match the capital: they throw feasts as rich as possible. The guests at the evening amuse themselves by playing whist and Boston, like the residents of the capital, since they have no worthwhile occupation. The “young ladies” Olga and Tatyana speak French, as is customary in high society. This feature is touchingly noted by Pushkin in the scene when Larina writes a love letter to Onegin: “So,” says the author. “I wrote in French.” “Dear Ideal” enthusiastically reads French romance novels, which replace everything for her, and Olga adores her album, in which she asks Lensky to write down poems for her. Such a desire to be like the capital's nobles does not evoke a positive response from the poet.
But the commitment to traditions and high spirituality of the provincial nobles are so attractive to A.S. Pushkin. They are sincere, kind and honest people, incapable of deception and betrayal that reigns in the world of high society. Poet like true Christian, wants to see Russian people as Russian, Orthodox, pious, who have abandoned imposed European values. The same idea of preserving “Russianness” will be continued by other titans of Russian literature of the “golden age”, for example, L.N. Tolstoy or F.M. Dostoevsky.
